PARALLEL TEXTS
Nelle azioni per contraffazione, un disegno o modello comunitario non registrato deve presumersi valido se il suo titolare indica in quale misura esso presenta un carattere individuale
Inglese tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-14-88_en.htm
Italiano tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-14-88_it.htm
Data documento: 19-06-2014
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In infringement actions, an unregistered Community design must be presumed to be valid if its holder indicates what elements give it its individual character
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Nelle azioni per contraffazione, un disegno o modello comunitario non registrato deve presumersi valido se il suo titolare indica in quale misura esso presenta un carattere individuale
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The individual character must be assessed by reference not to a combination of features drawn from a number of earlier designs, but by one or more individual designs made available to the public previously
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Il carattere individuale deve valutarsi rispetto non a possibili combinazioni di elementi tratti da diversi disegni e modelli anteriori, bensì ad uno o più disegni o modelli singoli divulgati al pubblico anteriormente
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The Regulation on Community designs provides that a design (whether registered or not) is to be protected at EU level to the extent that it is new (not made available to the public previously) and has individual character (the overall impression it produces on the informed user differs from that produced by any design which has been made available to the public previously).
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Il regolamento su disegni e modelli comunitari dispone che i disegni e modelli (registrati o non registrati) sono protetti dall’Unione qualora siano nuovi (assenza di qualsivoglia divulgazione anteriore al pubblico) e presentino un carattere individuale (l’impressione generale che essi suscitano su un utilizzatore informato deve differire da quella suscitata dai disegni o modelli anteriori).
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In 2005, Karen Millen Fashions (KMF), a company incorporated under the law of England and Wales which carries on the business of producing and selling women’s clothing, designed and placed on sale in Ireland a striped shirt (in a blue and a stone brown version) and a black knit top.
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Nel 2005, la società britannica Karen Millen Fashions (KMF), specializzata nella produzione e vendita di abbigliamento femminile, ha creato e messo in vendita in Irlanda una camicia a righe (in versione blu e in versione marrone) e un top di maglia nero.
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Examples of those garments were purchased by representatives of Dunnes Stores, an Irish retail chain, from one of KMF’s Irish outlets.
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Alcuni rappresentanti della catena di negozi irlandese Dunnes Stores hanno acquistato esemplari di tali capi d’abbigliamento presso un punto vendita irlandese della KMF.
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Dunnes subsequently had copies of the garments manufactured outside Ireland and put them on sale in its Irish stores in late 2006.
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In seguito, la Dunnes ha fatto realizzare copie di tali capi per poi metterle in vendita nei propri negozi irlandesi alla fine del 2006.
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In January 2007, KMF commenced proceedings in the Irish courts, seeking to have Dunnes restrained from using its unregistered designs, and damages for the unauthorised use of the designs at issue.
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Nel gennaio del 2007, la KMF ha avviato un procedimento dinanzi al giudice irlandese volto ad impedire alla Dunnes l’utilizzo dei suoi disegni o modelli non registrati. La KMF ha chiesto, altresì, il risarcimento dei danni per l’utilizzo non autorizzato degli stessi.
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Dunnes states that, as KMF has failed to prove the individual character of the designs at issue, it is not the holder of an unregistered Community design.
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La Dunnes sostiene che la KMF, non avendo fornito la prova del carattere individuale dei detti disegni o modelli, non è titolare di un disegno o modello comunitario non registrato;
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Dunnes further states that the individual character of a design must be assessed by reference not only to one or more individual designs made available to the public previously, but also by a combination of features taken in isolation and drawn from a number of earlier designs.
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afferma che l’esistenza del carattere individuale deve essere esaminata rispetto non solo a uno o più disegni o modelli singoli divulgati al pubblico anteriormente, ma anche a combinazioni di elementi isolati, tratti da più disegni e modelli anteriori.
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Thus, according to Dunnes, a new design cannot have individual character, since it is merely an amalgam of specific features or parts of earlier designs.
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A giudizio della Dunnes, quindi, un disegno o modello nuovo non può presentare un carattere individuale, laddove si tratti di un semplice assemblaggio di elementi specifici o di parti di disegni o modelli anteriori.
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The Supreme Court (Ireland), before which the appeal in the case was brought, asks the Court of Justice, first, whether the individual character of the designs at issue fall to be assessed solely by reference to one or more earlier designs or also by reference to a combination of features taken in isolation and drawn from a number of earlier designs.
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Investita della controversia, la Supreme Court (Corte suprema d’Irlanda) chiede alla Corte di giustizia se, da un lato, il carattere individuale dei disegni o modelli in parola debba essere valutato unicamente rispetto a uno o più singoli disegni o modelli anteriori oppure anche rispetto a combinazioni di elementi isolati, tratti da più disegni o modelli anteriori.
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The Irish court also asks whether the right holder is obliged to prove that his design has individual character or whether it is sufficient for him merely to indicate what constitutes the individual character of the design.
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Chiede inoltre se il titolare di un disegno o modello non registrato debba provare che il proprio disegno o modello presenta un carattere individuale o se, invece, sia sufficiente che egli indichi in cosa esso presenta un siffatto carattere.
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In today’s judgment, the Court holds, first of all, that the individual character of a design for the purposes of protection under the regulation must be assessed by reference to one or more specific, individualised, defined and identified designs from among all the designs which have been made available to the public previously.
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Con la sua sentenza odierna, la Corte afferma, in primo luogo, che il carattere individuale di un disegno o modello, ai fini della concessione di tutela ai sensi del regolamento, deve essere valutato rispetto a uno o più disegni o modelli precisi, individualizzati, determinati e identificati tra l’insieme dei disegni o modelli divulgati al pubblico anteriormente.
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Consequently, that assessment cannot be conducted by reference to a combination of features taken in isolation and drawn from a number of earlier designs.
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Pertanto, tale valutazione non può essere effettuata rispetto a una combinazione di elementi specifici e isolati, tratti da più disegni o modelli anteriori.
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Secondly, the Court observes that, in infringement actions, the regulation introduced establishes a presumption of validity of unregistered Community designs so that, in such actions, the right holder of an unregistered Community design is not required to prove that it has individual character.
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In secondo luogo, la Corte rileva che, nelle azioni per contraffazione, il regolamento prevede una presunzione di validità dei disegni o modelli comunitari non registrati, sicché, in tali procedimenti, il titolare di un disegno o modello comunitario non registrato non è tenuto a provarne il carattere individuale.
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The right holder need only indicate what constitutes the individual character of that design, that is to say, indicates what, in his view, are the element or elements of the design concerned which give it its individual character.
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Il titolare deve dunque semplicemente indicare in cosa il suo disegno o modello presenta un carattere individuale, vale a dire deve indicare l’elemento o gli elementi del disegno o modello interessato che, a suo parere, conferiscono ad esso tale carattere.
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The defendant may nevertheless contest the validity of the design at issue.
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Nondimeno il convenuto può sempre contestare la validità del disegno o modello di cui trattasi.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law or the validity of a European Union act.
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Il rinvio pregiudiziale consente ai giudici degli Stati membri, nell'ambito di una controversia della quale sono investiti, di interpellare la Corte in merito all’interpretazione del diritto dell’Unione o alla validità di un atto dell’Unione.
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The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
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La Corte non risolve la controversia nazionale.
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It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised. |
Spetta al giudice nazionale risolvere la causa conformemente alla decisione della Corte. Tale decisione vincola egualmente gli altri giudici nazionali ai quali venga sottoposto un problema simile. |
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In infringement actions, an unregistered Community design must be presumed
to be valid if its holder indicates what elements give it its individual
character
The individual character must be assessed by reference not to a
combination of features drawn from a number of earlier designs, but by one or
more individual designs made available to the public previously
The Regulation on Community designs provides that a design (whether
registered or not) is to be protected at EU level to the extent that it is new
(not made available to the public previously) and has individual character (the
overall impression it produces on the informed user differs from that produced
by any design which has been made available to the public previously).
In 2005, Karen Millen Fashions (KMF), a company incorporated under the law of
England and Wales which carries on the business of producing and selling women’s
clothing, designed and placed on sale in Ireland a striped shirt (in a blue and
a stone brown version) and a black knit top.
Examples of those garments were purchased by representatives of Dunnes
Stores, an Irish retail chain, from one of KMF’s Irish outlets.
Dunnes subsequently had copies of the garments manufactured outside Ireland
and put them on sale in its Irish stores in late 2006.
In January 2007, KMF commenced proceedings in the Irish courts, seeking to
have Dunnes restrained from using its unregistered designs, and damages for the
unauthorised use of the designs at issue.
Dunnes states that, as KMF has failed to prove the individual character of
the designs at issue, it is not the holder of an unregistered Community design.
Dunnes further states that the individual character of a design must be
assessed by reference not only to one or more individual designs made available
to the public previously, but also by a combination of features taken in
isolation and drawn from a number of earlier designs.
Thus, according to Dunnes, a new design cannot have individual character,
since it is merely an amalgam of specific features or parts of earlier designs.
The Supreme Court (Ireland), before which the appeal in the case was brought,
asks the Court of Justice, first, whether the individual character of the
designs at issue fall to be assessed solely by reference to one or more earlier
designs or also by reference to a combination of features taken in isolation and
drawn from a number of earlier designs.
The Irish court also asks whether the right holder is obliged to prove that
his design has individual character or whether it is sufficient for him merely
to indicate what constitutes the individual character of the design.
In today’s judgment, the Court holds, first of all, that the individual
character of a design for the purposes of protection under the regulation must
be assessed by reference to one or more specific, individualised, defined and
identified designs from among all the designs which have been made available to
the public previously.
Consequently, that assessment cannot be conducted by reference to a
combination of features taken in isolation and drawn from a number of earlier
designs.
Secondly, the Court observes that, in infringement actions, the regulation
introduced establishes a presumption of validity of unregistered Community
designs so that, in such actions, the right holder of an unregistered Community
design is not required to prove that it has individual character.
The right holder need only indicate what constitutes the individual character
of that design, that is to say, indicates what, in his view, are the element or
elements of the design concerned which give it its individual character.
The defendant may nevertheless contest the validity of the design at issue.
NOTE:
A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of the
Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer
questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law
or the validity of a European Union act.
The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance
with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts
or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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